Track & Field athletes advance at district meets

Bellbrook’s McKenna Kramer clears the high jump bar, May 17 during the first day of the Division I district track and field championships at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. Kramer won the event to advance to next week’s regional championships with a leap of 5 feet, 0 inches.

John Bombatch | Greene County News

Beavercreek sophomore Riley Buchholz (left) hands off to senior teammate Ian Johnson to start the third leg of the Division I boys 3,200-meter relay final, May 17 at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. Buchholz, Johnson, lead-off runner Jacob Benigno and anchorman Ben Ewert won the event in a time of 8:09.37 to qualify to next week’s regional meet.

John Bombatch | Greene County News

Senior Jordan Grant, of Beavercreek, leads Centerville freshman Sydney Khosla as the two round the third turn, during the May 17 girls 3,200-meter relay final at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. The Battlin’ Beavers quartet of Jodie Pierce, Grant, Taylor Ewert and Stephanie Pierce won the event in a time of 9:41.54, to qualify for next week’s regional competition.

John Bombatch | Greene County News

Bellbrook’s Sedric Ferguson (near) fires off the starting line with the rest of the runners in his heat of the D-I boys 100-meter dash, May 17 at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. The Golden Eagle sophomore wound up 13th quickest with a time of 12.28 seconds, and failed to advance to Friday’s finals.

John Bombatch | Greene County News

Beavercreek sophomore Tyler Wasson watches to make sure the pole vault bar stays up as he clears the 12-foot height, May 17 at Perc Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Wasson finished seventh overall with a best vault of 12-6.

John Bombatch | Greene County News

Beavercreek senior Matthew Riekens (near) clears an early hurdle in Wednesday’s May 17 preliminary heat of the boys Division I 110-meter hurdles, at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Riekens’ time of 17.72 seconds was a mere .37 of a second slower than the final qualifying time. He did finish fourth in the long jump, however, to advance to regionals in that pursuit..

John Bombatch | Greene County News

DAYTON — Bellbrook’s McKenna Kramer won the high jump competition finals, Jay Drennen won the boys discus crown, and the Beavercreek boys and girls 3,200 relay teams also claimed district titles at the first day of the Division I district track and field championships at Perc Welcome Stadium.

Kramer cleared the high jump bar’s 5-foot height with fewer attempts than Centerville’s Jermea Lyle, who also cleared the 5-foot mark on a very windy, blustery day.

Fresh off his win in the Greater Western Ohio Conference championships last week, Drennen heaved the discus 160 feet to win by nearly 12 feet over his next closest opponent.

Field event finals were contested in the boys discus, pole vault and long jump, and the girls discus and high jump, on Wednesday. The two running event finals were the boys and girls 3,200 relays, and Beavercreek won them both.

First, the Battlin’ Beaver foursome of Jodie Pierce, Jordan Grant, Taylor Ewert and Stephanie Pierce grabbed the lead, fell behind about midway through the race, and then powered past Centerville’s finest to win the girls 3,200-meter race in 9:41.54.

Then, the boys quartet of Jacob Benigno, Riley Buchholz, Ian Johnson and Ben Ewert won their 3,200 district final with a time of 8:09.37. The team stayed on the outside shoulder of a solid group of Lebanon runners, then Ewert kicked into the lead on the final leg.

The top-eight fastest times in Wednesday’s preliminary heats advanced to Friday’s May 19 finals at Welcome Stadium.

In Tuesday’s Division III district track & field meet, the Legacy Christian girls 3,200 Relay team (Estepp, Nelson, Fear, Sweeney), Yellow Springs discus thrower Amani Wagner, Legacy high jumper Renee Fear, the Cedarville boys 3,200 relay team of Sheridan, Salisbury, Sandlin, Williams, and Long jumpers Joe Plumer of Yellow Springs, and Wesley Williams of Cedarville each qualified to regionals during the first day of the D-III meet at Welcome Stadium.

Saturday’s final Dayton D-III events will take place starting with field event finals at 10 a.m., then running finals starting at 11:30 a.m.

The opening day of the Dayton District Division II meet starts Thursday, May 18 at Welcome, with spectator gates scheduled to open at 3 p.m. and field events starting at 4 p.m. The D-II meet concludes on Saturday May 20, with field event finals under way at 1 p.m. Dayton’s D-II running finals start at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Greeneview is one of the area schools expected to compete in that meet.

Xenia and Fairborn are competing at the Division I district meet at Huber Heights Wayne. No Xenia or Fairborn athletes advanced to the regionals on Wednesday, but several others will have their shot when the Wayne district meet resumes on Friday, May 19. Field events start at 5 p.m. with running finals scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Bellbrook’s McKenna Kramer clears the high jump bar, May 17 during the first day of the Division I district track and field championships at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. Kramer won the event to advance to next week’s regional championships with a leap of 5 feet, 0 inches.

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/05/web1_McKennaKramerHJ_PS.jpgBellbrook’s McKenna Kramer clears the high jump bar, May 17 during the first day of the Division I district track and field championships at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. Kramer won the event to advance to next week’s regional championships with a leap of 5 feet, 0 inches. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Beavercreek sophomore Riley Buchholz (left) hands off to senior teammate Ian Johnson to start the third leg of the Division I boys 3,200-meter relay final, May 17 at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. Buchholz, Johnson, lead-off runner Jacob Benigno and anchorman Ben Ewert won the event in a time of 8:09.37 to qualify to next week’s regional meet.

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/05/web1_RBuchholzIanJohnson3200_PS.jpgBeavercreek sophomore Riley Buchholz (left) hands off to senior teammate Ian Johnson to start the third leg of the Division I boys 3,200-meter relay final, May 17 at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. Buchholz, Johnson, lead-off runner Jacob Benigno and anchorman Ben Ewert won the event in a time of 8:09.37 to qualify to next week’s regional meet. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Senior Jordan Grant, of Beavercreek, leads Centerville freshman Sydney Khosla as the two round the third turn, during the May 17 girls 3,200-meter relay final at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. The Battlin’ Beavers quartet of Jodie Pierce, Grant, Taylor Ewert and Stephanie Pierce won the event in a time of 9:41.54, to qualify for next week’s regional competition.

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/05/web1_JordanGrantSydneyKhosla_PS.jpgSenior Jordan Grant, of Beavercreek, leads Centerville freshman Sydney Khosla as the two round the third turn, during the May 17 girls 3,200-meter relay final at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. The Battlin’ Beavers quartet of Jodie Pierce, Grant, Taylor Ewert and Stephanie Pierce won the event in a time of 9:41.54, to qualify for next week’s regional competition. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Bellbrook’s Sedric Ferguson (near) fires off the starting line with the rest of the runners in his heat of the D-I boys 100-meter dash, May 17 at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. The Golden Eagle sophomore wound up 13th quickest with a time of 12.28 seconds, and failed to advance to Friday’s finals.

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/05/web1_SedricFerguson100_PS.jpgBellbrook’s Sedric Ferguson (near) fires off the starting line with the rest of the runners in his heat of the D-I boys 100-meter dash, May 17 at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. The Golden Eagle sophomore wound up 13th quickest with a time of 12.28 seconds, and failed to advance to Friday’s finals. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Beavercreek sophomore Tyler Wasson watches to make sure the pole vault bar stays up as he clears the 12-foot height, May 17 at Perc Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Wasson finished seventh overall with a best vault of 12-6.

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/05/web1_TylerWassonVault_PS.jpgBeavercreek sophomore Tyler Wasson watches to make sure the pole vault bar stays up as he clears the 12-foot height, May 17 at Perc Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Wasson finished seventh overall with a best vault of 12-6. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Beavercreek senior Matthew Riekens (near) clears an early hurdle in Wednesday’s May 17 preliminary heat of the boys Division I 110-meter hurdles, at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Riekens’ time of 17.72 seconds was a mere .37 of a second slower than the final qualifying time. He did finish fourth in the long jump, however, to advance to regionals in that pursuit..

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/05/web1_MatthewRiekens110H_PS.jpgBeavercreek senior Matthew Riekens (near) clears an early hurdle in Wednesday’s May 17 preliminary heat of the boys Division I 110-meter hurdles, at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Riekens’ time of 17.72 seconds was a mere .37 of a second slower than the final qualifying time. He did finish fourth in the long jump, however, to advance to regionals in that pursuit.. John Bombatch | Greene County News